Mother’s Day is an occasion when people get a chance to celebrate the women in their lives who they proudly call mom.

Linda Johnson said her mother Mary Ella Moore has had a huge impact on the lives of herself and her siblings.

“She’s always taught us right from wrong and taught us to respect other people,” she said. “She’s 93 and has always worked hard.”

Johnson said Moore had five children and 11 grandchildren.

“We all respect her and know that we better not talk back to her because even at 93 she can still get us,” she said. “She’s always been there to listen to us but not tell us what to do.”

Johnson said the most important lesson she learned from her mother was to be herself.

“She’s always been a good role model, a good mom and was a good wife until my dad died when she was 50,” she said.

Vicki Wade said her mother Mamie Warren, 102, has been an amazing mother over the course of seven decades.

“She’s always had a strong set of values to do the right thing and tell the truth,” she said.

Wade said Warren was involved in helping with homework and other activities.

“I struggled at times, but she was there to make sure I got it done and we would go over things,” she said. “When I went to business college she couldn’t say the words, but she would still help me.”

Wade said she can’t imagine a mother’s day without Warren.

“She’s always been there, like a fixture,” she said.

Wade said Warren has also had a large role in the lives of her nieces and nephews.

“They all keep in touch with her because after each one of their mother and fathers passed away, she became like everyone else’s mom,” she said.

Wade said after her father passed away 36 years ago she became more involved in caring for Warren who lived on her own until she was 98.

“I followed up on things, but she paid her bills and took care of everything,” she said.

Wade visits her mother, who lives in Spring Arbor of Kinston, every night and their bond has grown stronger over the last four years.

“The roles are a little reversed,” she said. “I’m more of the caregiver now that she always was to me. I’m having to use the skills she used to take of me to now in turn take care of her. I make sure that sure that she is comfortable and put her needs first like she always did for me.”

Warren said being a mother has been the most wonderful thing in the world.

“I liked having the love of my family,” she said. “ I also enjoyed sewing and going shopping with my daughter.”

Warren said her advice to new mothers is to be the best mom you can be.

“You have to teach your child how to act, how to do and to be a good parent to their future children,” she said.

Warren said the most fun part of being a mother has been the birth of her great-granddaughter Adrianna Arnette. The pair share the same birthday of Feb. 14 and are very close.

Arnette said she enjoys having the same birthday as Smith.

“When I turned 16 when she turned 100 and there’s not many people who can say that,” she said.

Arnette said she has learned a about what it means to be a mother from watching Smith, Wade and her own mother.

“They’ve all be there for me,” she said. “I’ve learned that a mother loves you in a way nobody else can love you . They love you unconditionally and that’s never go away. I’ve also learned what it means to sacrifice and I know that when I have children, I will be there for them no matter what.”

Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Noah.Clark@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @nclark763.